Tandem draft gear



Aug. 12, 1958 B. E. PETERSON 2,847,128

TNDEM DRAFT GEAR Filed Dec. 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 12, 1958 B. E. PETERSON 2,847,128

TANDEM DRAFT GEAR Filed Dec. 23, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent C TANDEM DRAFT GEAR Bertil E. llieterson,Chicago, lll., assiguor to Cardwell Westinghouse Company, a corporation of Delaware Application December 23, 1953, Serial No. 399,970

S Claims. (Cl. Z13- 11) Further objects and advantages of the invention will i appear as the disclosure is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through familiar parts of a freight car with the draft gears or cushioning elements in place;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the intermediate portion of Figs. 1 and 2, certain parts being broken away to show details of construction;

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sections on the lines 4-4 and 5--5 of Fig. 3; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sections on the lines 6-6 and 7-7 of Fig. 2.

But these drawings and the corresponding description are for the purpose of illustrative disclosure only, and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

In Figs. l and 2, there are shown center sills 10, front and rear draft gear lugs or stops 11 and 12, a vertical yoke 13 connected to a coupler shank 14 by draft key 15 in the positions they assume in full release with the coupler horn 16 spaced from the striking plate 17 and the front follower 18 within the yoke 13 and against the front draft gear lugs 11.

At 19, there is shown a familiar form of draft gear y in the usual relation within the yoke 13 and against the front follower 18. Itis supported by the customary draft gear carrier iron 20.

The draft gear lugs or stops 12 that take the thrust from the draft gear to the center sills have been moved to the right or inwardly beyond the bolster 21, and an inner or back draft gear 22 is associated with them and a rear or secondary follower 23. The draft gear 22 is supported on two draft gear carrier irons 24.

The bolster center ller casting 25 has been changed to provide spaced passages or passageways 26, one at either side of the center pin opening 27 to receive a pair of thrust members 28 acting as columns between the rear of the casing for the draft gear 19 and the rear or secondary follower 23.

The passageways 26 are provided by introducing walls 29 in the familiar bolster ller casting, and in the bottoms of the passageways are hardened steel wear blocks 30 to support the thrust members 28 at rest and in their back and forth movement during the operation of the draft gear mechanism.

The bolster center ller casting is here shown as Welded into the center sill structure at 31 and 32, and for this purpose the top and bottom walls carry longitudinally extending vertical flanges at their opposite sides.

' 2,847,128 Patented Aug. 12, 1958 ice The draft gears 19 andf22 may be of any suitable construction, such as, for example, Westinghouse Type NY-ll-F, substantially as disclosed in Car Builders Cyclopedia, 1946, p. 942, and Car Builders Cyclopedia, 1953, p. 764.

They will be designed to give the desired capacity in the whole and in the separate draft gears to suit the conditions and personal preferences.

In many instances, the rear draft gear 22 should be on the order of that disclosed in the application of Campbell Ser. No. 388,787, led October 28, 1953, 'and of greater capacity than the draft gear 19.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the mechanism in the condition of full release.

Upon receiving a buiiing shock, the coupler shank 14 is moved to the right in those figures, transmitting the force to the front or primary follower 18, thence to the front draft gear 19, thence to the columns or thrust members 28, thence tothe secondary follower 23, thence to the rear draft gear 22, and finally to the rear lugs or stops 12. In the course of movement, the draft gears function as draft gears should to allow travel, and during the travel to absorb and dissipate the energy of the shock and spread out the force of impact, so that the maxim-um unit stress is brought within the capacity of the car structure for freight service.

In instances in which the draft gears 19 and 22 are substantially duplicate, the travel and the energy absorption and dissipation are divided substantially equally. In instances where the draft gears vary in allowed travel and capacity, the action will correspond.

Upon release, the two drafts gears act according to their design, and return the parts to the position shown in Figs. l and 2.

In draft, the front draft gear 19 takes care of all the shocks, and the action between the yoke 13 and the front lugs or stops 11 is in the usual arrangement.

According to this invention, the travel allowed the coupler shank and the absorption of the energy of a bung shock are divided between two draft gears according to their design as to travel and capacity. ln the ordinary application, the primary draft gear 19 may have the customary travel of 2%", and the secondary draft gear 22 may have the sameor some different travelfor example, 31/4. Whatever the allowed travel of the two gears, it must be provided for in the clearance between the coupler head 16 and the striking plate 17.

In the instance shown in the drawings, this is taken, for example, as 6%., which requires only 3%" increase in length with the coupler shank. However, those things are a matter of choice, and the travel allowed by each of the draft gears will be determined by the design.

The combined travel of the draft gears will determine the length of coupler shank necessary to provide sufcient clearance. p Y ,v

The organization requires a minimum of change from specications of the Association of American Railroads Operations and Maintenance Department Mechanical Division Specifications M-l-4l, Approved Draft Gears for Freight Service; and it provides increase in capacity to absorb buffing shocks anywhere from double that of any acceptable draft gear upwards to four times that.

The simple expedient of spacing the draft gears in tandem on opposite sides of the bolster and putting the thrust members or columns between the draft gears through passageways in the bolster center filler makes a very simple, practical construction.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging for a railway car frame wherein front and rear draft gears are mounted on opposite sides of a bolster center ller that is rigidly secured to the car frame, said rigging including front and rear lugs 3. carried by center sills on opposite sides of the center filler with the front end of the front gear cooperating with the front lugs in draft and with the rear end of the rear gear cooperating with the rear lugs in buff, the improvement wherein the bolster center filler is formed With a vertical center pin opening flanked by lengthwise extending reinforcing walls that are carried between the top and bottom Walls of the center filler, said reinforcing walls cooperating with the center sills to define lengthwise passages extending substantially the entire height of the bolster center filler, and thrust means substantially filling said passages and projecting therethrough into abutting engagement with said gears to space the front gear forwardly of the center filler, said thrust means being loose with respect to at least one of said gears.

2. In a draft rigging for a railway car frame wherein front and rear draft gears are mounted on opposite sides of a bolster center filler that is rigidly secured to the car frame, said rigging including front and rear lugs carried by center sills on opposite sides of the center filler with the front end of the front gear cooperating with the front lugs in draft and with the rear end of the rear gear cooperating with the rear lugs in buff, the improvement wherein the rear draft gear has a given closure travel, the bolster center filler is formed with a vertical center pin opening flanked by lengthwise extending reinforcing walls that are carried between the top and bottom walls of the center filler, said reinforcing walls cooperating with the center sills to define lengthwise passages extending substantially the entire height of the bolster center filler, and thrust means substantially filling said passages and projecting therethrough into abutting engagement with said gears to space the front gear forwardly of the center filler, a clearance distance in excess of the amount of the closure travel of the rear gear to provide for rearward movement of the front gear, said thrust means being loose with respect to at least one of said-gears.

3. In a draft rigging for a railway car frame wherein front and rear draft gears are mounted on opposite sides of a bolster center filler that is rigidly secured to the car frame, said rigging including front and rear lugs carried by center sills on opposite sides of the center filler with the front end of the front gear cooperating with the front lugs in draft and with the rear end of the rear gear cooperating with the rear lugs in buff, the improvement wherein the bolster center filler is formed with a Vertical center pin opening flanked by lengthwise reinforcing Walls that are carried between the top and bottom walls of the center filler and that cooperate with the center sills to define lengthwise passages extending substantially the entire height of the bolster center ller, wear blocks disposed in said passages and resting on the bottom wall of the center filler, and thrust means slideable on said wear blocks and substantially filling said passages and projecting therethrough into abutting engagement with said gears to space the front gear forwardly of the center filler, said thrust means being loose with respect to at least one of said gears.

4. In a draft rigging for a railway car frame wherein front and rear draft gears are mounted on opposite sides of a bolster center filler, said rigging including front and rear lugs carried by center' sills on opposite sides of the center filler, with the front end of the front gear cooperating with the front lugs in draft and with the rear end of the rear gear cooperating with the rear lugs in buff, the improvement wherein the bolster center filler is formed with a vertical center pin opening flanked by lengthwise extending reinforcing walls that are carried between the top and bottom walls of the center filler and that cooperate with longitudinally extending vertical flanges carried at opposite sides of the top and bottom walls of the center filler to define lengthwise passages extending substantially the entire height of the bolster center filler, said flanges being fixed to said center sill to secure the center filler to the car frame, and thrust means substantially filling said passages and projecting therethrough into abutting engagement with said gears to space the front gear forwardly of the vcenter filler, said thrust means being loose with respect to at least one of said gears.

5. `In a draft rigging for a railway car frame wherein front and rear draft gears are mounted on opposite sides of a bolster center filler, said rigging including front and rear lugs carried by center sills on opposite sides of the center filler, with the front end of the front gear cooperat ing with the front lugs in draft and with the rear end of the rear gear cooperating with the `rear lugs in buff, the improvement wherein the rear draft gear has a given closure travel, the bolster center filler is formed with a vertical center pin opening flanked by lengthwise extending reinforcing `walls that are carried between the top and bottom Walls of the center filler and that cooperate with longitudinally extending vertical flanges carried at opposite sides of the top and bottom walls of the center filler to define lengthwise passages extending substantially the entire height of the bolster center filler, said flanges being fixed to said center sill to secure the center filler to the car frame, wear blocks disposed in said passages and resting on the bottom wall of said center filler to provide for rearward movement of the front gear, and thrust means lsubstantially filling said passages and projecting therethrough into abutting engagement with said gears to space the front gear forwardly `of the `center filler, a clearance distance in excess of the amount of the closure travel of the rear gear to provide for rearward movement of the front gear, said thrust means being loose with respect to at least one of said gears.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 518,873 Barnes Apr, 24, 1894 703,956 Guinn July l, 1902 1,862,080 Glascodine June 7, 1932 1,874,058 OConnor Aug. 30, 1932 

